So there I was, reading through the quatraines of Nostradamus, and I was struck by the number of them that seemed to be relevant to the current Amtgard events. So, as a public service to, well, you guys, I have collected those which seem to be the most important, and included them below along with my interpretations:

Century 1, 12 There will soon be talk of a treacherous man, who rules a short time, quickly raised from low to high estate. He will suddenly turn disloyal and volatile. This man will govern Verona.

Well, I think we can all make the connection here. This quatrain is clearly a warning against the man who "will govern Verona". We've all seen "a" become "o" in sloppy handwriting, so applying this logic the last line becomes "This man will govern Verana". Verana is the consort of the Burning Lands. You do the math.

Century 1, 81 From the human flock nine will be sent away, Separated from control and advice Their fate will be sealed on departure K-Th-L make a error; the dead banished

The Monarchs who go attend the Monarch's Meeting at Clan will be ejected from the site. The "nine" is clearly a reference to the Monarchs of Amtgard, minus the King of the Burning Lands (and technically, a Pope is a Heirophant, not a Monarch). The second line refers to the fact that the meeting will be held off-site, and the third line intimates that they should be packed before they leave. K-Th-L is clearly a disguised reference to the King of The Burning Lands (or possibly a reference to the Kappa Theta Lambda fraternity), who will declare the other Monarchs dead to him, and send them away.

Century 4, 22 The great army will be chased out, In one moment it will be needed by the King: The faith promised from afar will be broken, He will be seen naked in pitiful disorder.

Support promised will not come. All the lies and rhetoric will be stripped away, and even those devoted to "the King"'s cause will be so repulsed by what they see that they will abandon him for fear of his taint. The King, of course, is the King of the Burning Lands.

Century 1, 97 That which neither weapon nor flame could accomplish will be achieved by a sweet speaking tongue in council. Sleeping, in a dream, the king will see the enemy not in war or of military blood.

Resolution will come not by anger and hatred, but rather through negotiation and compromise. The King sees his enemies only in dreams, implying that he is merely paranoid.

Century 3, 90 The great Satyr and Tiger of Hyrcania, Gift presented to those of the Ocean: A fleet's chief will set out from Carmania, One who will take land at the Tyrren Phocaean.

Though at first glance nothing coherent really stands out, this quatraine is notable because it mentions a "Gift presented to those of the Ocean" (Wetlands?) as well as Phocaean (Phocion?). It may be worth noting that Hyrcania is a semi-tropical port city that was once part of Persia, and considered an Eden-like paradise by the Persians. Interestingly, the name means "Country of Wolves", possibly a reference to the Iron Mountains or the Burning Lands. Carmania is another bit of Persia, part desert, part paradise (much like Texas?).

When you look at it that way, the quatraine begins to make sense. The Monarch's Circle, lead by the Monarch and BOD President of the Iron Mountains (Belgarion and Michael, Hammer of God [a Tiger!]) will confirm the status of the Wetlands as a Kingdom of Amtgard. The last sentance does not mean that the Wetland's Pope "will land", but exactly that he "will take land", i.e. accept his Kingdom's status back. Phocion is mentioned as he offered the location to host the off-site Monarch's Meeting. The pieces are falling into place.

Century 4, 21 The change will be very difficult: City and province will gain by the change: Heart high, prudent established, chased out one cunning, Sea, land, people will change their state.

This one is simple. Change will come, and although hard, will result in prosperity. This change will come about because the people demand it, and they will chase out the cunning one who seeks to retain power.

Century 10, 74 The year the great seventh number is accomplished, Appearing at the time of the games of slaughter: Not far from the age of the great millennium, When the dead will come out of their graves.

A happy note: The release of the seventh edition will bring many of the old, lost Amtgarders back into the fold. "Not far" is a term that's open to interpretation, but it shouldn't be too long after "the age of the great millennium", i.e. the year 2000. Perhaps the powers that be will finally realize that after six years of changes, it's no longer an update.

In summary, it looks like this year's Clan is going to include a spectacular number of fireworks, and no little bit of posturing and such. However, in the end, the game will survive, and eventually even prosper.

[NOTE: This is a work of humor. Any resemblance to the actual future is coincidental, and frankly shocking.]